Shamika'a Aunt's Alle-Belle

So one rainy day in September when the clouds were grey and heavy and the sky looked like it was going to fall, I decided to surprise my grandparents with alle belle for tea.

Ah ha! Does the word alle belle make you hungry too?



          Delicious, soft, melt-in-the-mouth... this sweet

          Goan pancake is a favourite in most Goan

          households.  It is a favourite at mine.  The only

          tip I can give you is to get the pancake real thin

          and fine, just like a dainty lace handkerchief.

          The type of handkerchief a pretty damsel would drop

          by mistake, so that a handsome prince picks it for

          her and sniffs it for its perfume.



I digress, for cooking makes me creative and happy. Or is it happy and creative....



Like patolleos, alle belle uses freshly scraped coconut and Goan jaggery.  You could even stuff the pancakes with coconut and a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of sugar.  If you ask me my preference, coconut jaggery alle belle wins hands down.

INGREDIENTS

• 250 gms Maida
• 2 Eggs
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 150ml coconut milk/water
• 
  

FILLING

• 1 fresh coconut, grated
• 3 Goan Pyramid Palm Jaggery 
• quarter tsp ground cardamom
• quarter tsp grated nutmeg

METHOD

In a bowl, sift flour and salt. Add egg and coconut milk. Beat lightly into a smooth batter, ensuring that no lumps form.

Mix filling ingredients together. Melt a little butter in a frying pan and pour in enough batter to lightly coat the pan. Tilt to spread. Cook for a minute and flip and cook the other side.

To assemble the pancakes, put filling on each pancake and roll up or fold into 4 (ie, a triangle).

To serve, place 2 pancakes on each plate and lightly brush with melted butter and warm through under the grill. Both pancakes and filling can be made beforehand and then warmed through before eating.